Stars of Fate
by HanaAsakura20
Summary: Cloud still not feeling up to par, goes on a quest to revive Aeris.
1. Reminiscence

"_But, I let you die…_" he thought, seeing her face again. She turned to him, and smiled.

"_You came, though. That's all that matters. And I'm glad for that. Thanks, Cloud."_

Cloud woke up. He must have fallen asleep. Cloud lay on the bed upstairs in Tifa's bar. He had tried so hard to let go of the past. It had been 3 years now. But, no matter how hard he tried, everything played back in his mind like a movie. Even when he wasn't asleep. And the surreal dreams with her became more frequent. But, he kept it to himself, though, as not to worry Tifa or the others.

"Cloud! Cloud!" A voice rang from downstairs. "You gettin' up?"

Cloud slowly rose, and sheathed his new, improved blade behind his back. He turned around as Denzel ran up the steps towards him.

"Hey, Cloud. Are you comin' down. You got a phone call."

"I see. Thanks, Denzel. Is Tifa down there?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, she is. Oh, I gotta get going. Me and Marlene are gonna go down to the shop to get some Materia. I'll see you later, ok?" Denzel said as he ran off.

Cloud walked downstairs, and down into the bar area. Tifa walked into the room.

"Hey. You're up late. What's wrong?" she asked. Cloud shook his head.

"It's nothing. Did someone call?"

"Yeah. Reeve was calling for you. He said he had an errand for you."

"Right. I'll see what he wants this time," Cloud replied with a sigh. "Hopefully, it's not something long and drawn out…"

------------------------


	2. Business

Cloud rode Fenrir up to Kalm where Reeve wanted to meet with him. Since the attack by the Tsviets, the people there were trying hard to rebuild the town and their lives. And Reeve had pulled Vincent and Shelke into helping. Both were reluctant… but agreed. Somehow, Cloud just had trouble keeping focus on the issues at hand. Thinking about Vincent and Shelke living together spurred thoughts of his own, and where he should be with his life. Hell, living with Tifa and the kids there at the bar was fine, but…

He never… felt the same way about Tifa that she did with him. Tifa was just his childhood friend… Cloud had tried to let it go a bit further, but every time he did, something would come up, or something just didn't feel right. It wasn't that he was guilty. He just… Had no interest.

"_You need a girl… One that could take care of you. That would be the perfect type for you…_"

"_I'm not interested…"_

Cloud rode into Kalm on his motorcycle. He parked it in front of the houses, and knocked at the address that Tifa gave him. Surprisingly, it wasn't Reeve that opened the door for him.

"Cloud Strife?"

In the past few months, Shelke had improved quite a bit. Taking her off her daily Mako treatments little by little must have helped her. If anything, she looked more alert, and her body was starting to show signs of maturity and growth. Cloud could have sworn that she was getting a bit of a bust on her, but he definitely did not want to bring up the subject to her. She smiled slightly at him, and nodded for him to come in.

"Uh, yeah… Reeve wanted to meet me here," he replied quickly. "Is Reeve or Vincent here?"

"They are currently coming back from the mansion in Nibelheim-"

The word Nibelheim made Cloud wince a bit, but he continued to listen.

"Vincent discovered something that might be of some personal interest to you in the library there. I don't know the complete details, but you should ask Vincent and Reeve for yourself when they arrive. Until then, just wait a bit and make yourself comfortable," Shelke said as she opened the curtains, letting some light in.

"Thanks, Shelke. So, how do you like living with Vincent here? Are you doing alright?" Cloud asked.

"It's different. Different from when… I was living a life of solitude away from the surface and family. I've learned so much in the past months. Everyone's taught me many things. It's just so hard to remember everything. Just yesterday, I managed to encounter a Chocobo outside of Kalm. I'd like to ride a Chocobo one day… Oh… Sorry. I lost my focus, and-"

"Don't worry about it. You're still learning, right?" Cloud said with a small smile.

"Yes. Vincent says that sometimes things that I say sound exactly like what Dr. Crescent would have said if she were here."

"Oh really?"

"I know it sounds strange, but it's almost like he has her back in a way… But, you and I both know that that's not possible Cloud Strife," Shelke said, while looking down.

"She returned to the planet, didn't she?" Cloud asked.

"Yes. Her body and a bit of her soul returned to the planet years ago. However, some of her mind was uploaded to my mind and body. Her thoughts, feelings, dreams, and wishes. Everything. That's why I-"

The door suddenly opened, and Reeve and Vincent walked in.

"Vincent. Reeve. Hey," Cloud said with a wave.

"Cloud! Glad you could make it," Reeve replied. "So, how's the delivery service treating you? Good, I trust?"

--------------------------------------------------------


End file.
